Baby Jogger City Select or iCandy Pear?

[pecanpie]

DD2 will be 21 months when DC3 is born. We used a buggy board for DD1 so have never had to buy a double before.

DH is insistent that DC3 gets to face pram pusher as the other 2 did and I agree.

We've narrowed choices to BJ city select or iCandy Pear but haven't been into a shop to take a proper look yet etc, plus, we don't have the right size children to test out for pushability etc. I saw someone with the BJ yesterday and she said it's difficult to push - do you agree/disagree? Is the iCandy any easier? I remember with DD1, her Bugaboo Cameleon was much easier to push than my friend's iCandy Cherry which was new on the market in 2007 when they were born, but have things changed?

Are you very happy/unhappy with your choice?
How much does each cost with components needed for baby and toddler? We have Maxi Cosi carseat and adaptors already (think this works for both 'travel systems'), we'd need one carrycot and 2 normal seat bits.

Thanks for your help!

here :)

Funnily enough I saw two city selects one after another in town today. Hadn't see that before. I thought it looked really good actually - loads of room for both dcs and although fairly big to handle - well that's life with a double!

When is your LO due because the new iCandy Peach is due out at the end of the year. I could write a thesis now on the BJCS v's the Peach and Pear! Ok first of all parent facing. Both the Pear and BJCS will allow you to do this but that means your eldest also has to parent face or else of you do the children back to back there is no recline on either pushchair (not recommended on the Pear BTW) so you wouldn't in an ideal world put your baby parent facing until they were well over sux months .... I do ot now at ten months with my son but if he falls asleep you can quickly move the seats around with the children still strapped in (totally not recommended but done all the time here!) The Pear is one huge bulk of a pushchair. I pushed one again last week just to check my memory wasn't playing me up, and it wasn't! It's like driving a tank. There is no question that between the Pear and BJCS that the BJCS wins every time. Yes the BJCS is hard to get up a kerb, but you get good at spotting dropped kerbs. It's hard to keep in line on a cambered surface too. But be realistic about if you have this issues because I rarely meet either issue in my day to day life. It is also unlikely to be an issue for the first nine months either. The BJCS is packed with features from the huge basket, huge hoods, storage nets, seating positions, handbrake, flat fold, easy to store, simple fold etc. If you can forgo the parent facing (still possible in single mode and car seat mode) and have time, then the new Peach Blossom irons out a lot of the niggles that were there and offers a great pushchair from 0-3. For pushability for two older children my order of ease is the new Peach Blossom, then the Mima Kobi, then the B-Dual and then the Phil&Teds. Cost of the iCandy Pear is on www.bestbuggy.co.uk/tandem-pushchairs and for the City Select the basic costs are on say the Tesco site but you will get a good deal by phoning a good BJ retailer up like Lullaboo Baby, Winstantleys or Twinsstore.

I saw a lovely red bj select today. It was v nice. Smaller child was in seat furthest from pusher, but facing pusher. Larger child nearer handlebar facing forwards.

That was my favourite position until DD decided to start kicking her brother! When I swapped them round so the baby was at the top she started to pull his toes. I should have said this is a great seating option and was my favourite until the kicking incident!

Thanks for your responses - really useful, especially the comparison site!

BTW just to add the Pear is different to the Peach ie bigger seats and rear facing options. The carrycots on the Pear are a conversion kit and there is a bar that runs at foot level inside the carrycot which I heard was rubbing one babys foot (but I think that is rare). With an older child like your DD, if the Pear is an option, I would consider getting the larger Apple seat or upgrading an Apple to a Pear with the pip convertor rather than buying a straight Pear.

I love my BJCS. I have a 22 month age gap so pretty much the same as you. My youngest DC has just turned 6 months and I converted the carrycot to a seat a few weeks ago. I'm having lots of fun trying out the different seating positions as I always kept the carrycot closest to me and the back seat then had to face me as well. I love the fact they can face each other although DD currently wants to walk everywhere but does get tired and needs to have a rest sometimes.

Yes it's fairly heavy (I have a Bugaboo Chameleon as well) but it means it feels really sturdy with both children in it and in some ways I prefer it to the Bugaboo. I don't find it hard to push (although as others have said it does tend to veer on cambers and you do have to use your foot on the bar to get it up kerbs - neither of which I find a massive issue) but it's obviously going to be a bit harder work than a single as you've got the weight of two children in it.

I would actually consider using it as a single when I need one again rather than the Bugaboo ? never thought I'd say that as I love the Bugaboo!

Can't really comment on the price because we bought an ex-display model from a local shop although as far as I'm aware you will need to buy the car seat adapters specifically for the BJCS which we use with the Maxi-cosi.